Mudenda uncontested for prestigious Cremer-Passy Prize

THE Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda who is in Algiers, Algeria on a Parliamentary Bilateral visit has been unanimously nominated as Africa’s sole candidate for the prestigious Cremer-Passy Prize.

Advocate Mudenda was nominated by Algeria’s Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) delegation who virtually attended the Africa Geopolitical Group meeting to select its candidate for the prize.

In a statement, Parliament said consequently, Advocate Mudenda was unanimously nominated as Africa’s sole candidate for the Prize.

“While the other four Geopolitical Groups of the IPU may submit their nominations in line with the Cremer-Passy Rules, the Africa Geopolitical Group remained hopeful that Africa would clinch the Prize,” reads part of the statement.

It added, “Speaker Mudenda thanked Algeria for nominating him for the Cremer-Passy Prize as submitted by the Algerian IPU Group. Notwithstanding a possible challenge from the other four Geopolitical Groups, it is hoped the Africa Geopolitical Group will clinch the Prize in the name of Speaker Mudenda.

In accepting the nomination by Africa, Advocate Mudenda affirmed that the coveted Prize would be an honour to the Africa Geopolitical Group.

The prize is named after the IPU founders William Randall Cremer and Frédéric Passy, visionary parliamentarians from Great Britain and France, who convened the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Paris in 1889.

The prize is for parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of the IPU’s objectives as well as those who contribute to a more united, fair, secure, sustainable and equitable world.

Exceptionally, the 2022 prize went to two nominees: one woman and a group led by a man, to underscore the importance of gender equality at the IPU as demonstrated by the theme of the 145th IPU Assembly.

Advocate Mudenda concurred with the host Speaker of the People’s National Assembly Brahim Boughali on the need to support each other’s positions at the international fora.

“In this regard, he acknowledged with gratitude Algeria’s consistent support of Zimbabwe at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU).”

Advocate Mudenda said there was a need to strengthen existing bilateral relations between the two countries and corollary between the two legislatures.